Elon Musk now wants to compete with Gmail

Hi Guys! Thank you for keeping up with us. We are writing to say a big “Oops!” for missing yesterday’s newsletter. We promise we weren’t abducted by aliens or lost in a time warp, just a little caught up in the whirlwind of life! Anyway, in today’s edition we are going to cover:

👉 Severe side-effects of obesity drugs

👉 OpenAI’s SearchGPT is now free for everyone

👉 Honda and Nissan are in talks to merge

and many more!

Today’s issue is a 5-minute read.

📧 Did someone forward you this email? Subscribe here for free to get more of these everyday!

Quote of the day

“Life is getting up one more time than you've been knocked down.”

John Wayne

Must Know

US will increase full retirement age to 66

🧓👴 In 2025, the full retirement age (FRA) for Social Security benefits will increase to 66 years and 10 months for people born in 1959. This means that those individuals will start receiving their full benefits in November 2025.

Although you can begin claiming Social Security as early as age 62, doing so will reduce your monthly payments by up to 30% if you retire before reaching your FRA. For example, someone who retires at 62 might see their $1,000 benefit drop to $700 or $750, depending on their birth year.

If you wait until your FRA, you'll receive the full amount based on your lifetime earnings. The maximum benefit at FRA in 2025 will be $4,018, and if you delay until age 70, it could go up to $5,108. Additionally, all Social Security recipients will see a cost-of-living adjustment of 2.5% next year, meaning an average increase of about $47 per month for those currently receiving around $1,870.

Obesity drugs are not harmless

Weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are getting more people to the doctor. A recent study shows that as more people start these medications, they also get diagnosed with other health issues like sleep apnea, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. Many patients who previously avoided doctors due to stigma are now seeking help for their weight and related conditions.

The research found that after starting a GLP-1 weight-loss drug, 42 out of every 1,000 patients were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within 15 days. This is an increase from 32 in 2020. The number of sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease diagnoses also rose. Companies that make devices for sleep apnea are seeing more sales, showing the impact of these drugs on healthcare visits.

Overall, GLP-1 medications are helping people lose weight and improve their health. They encourage patients to visit doctors and get necessary check-ups they might have avoided before.

Strange superbug is jumping around in LA

🦠 A new and dangerous superbug is spreading in Los Angeles, causing severe diarrhea. This superbug is a strain of bacteria called Shigella sonnei that is resistant to many antibiotics.

👨‍🔬👩‍🔬 Researchers from UCLA found several cases of this extensively drug-resistant bacteria between 2023 and 2024. Although the patients recovered, scientists are worried because this strain might still be spreading in the area and beyond.

Shigella infections usually cause diarrhea and can be serious, especially for people with weak immune systems. The bacteria can spread through contaminated food or drinks and even through sexual contact.

⚡Speed-Round: The Most Impactful Stories

Google has launched a new AI model called "Gemini 2.0 Experimental Advanced" for Gemini Advanced subscribers. This model offers better performance for complex tasks like coding, math, and following instructions. This new model is designed to make it easier to tackle tough challenges, such as solving math problems or creating detailed plans for businesses. Subscribers need a Google One AI Premium subscription to use this advanced feature, which costs $19.99 per month.

In a recent post on X, Elon Musk has hinted at developing a new email service called "Xmail" to compete with Gmail, which could prioritize user privacy and feature a simplified, direct messaging-style interface. However, concerns have arisen about potential phishing scams targeting users amid the speculation, as well as naming conflicts with existing services using the Xmail name.

Top-levels

Markets & Business

• 🚗🏭 Honda and Nissan, two Japanese car makers, are in talks for a possible merger. Mitsubishi might join the mix as well.

• Amazon workers in Southern California have voted to authorize a strike during the busy holiday delivery season.

• 💰 About 400 current and former OpenAI employees are set to become millionaires due to a private stock sale organized by the company. The deal, involving Japan's SoftBank Group, allows eligible shareholders to sell their shares for $210 each. SoftBank has plans to buy $1.6B worth of OpenAI stock in the near future.

• 💸 Bitcoin reached a new all-time high early yesterday morning in New York, soaring past $108,000 per coin before experiencing a sharp decline.

• Databricks, American data analytics and AI company, has raised $10 billions in the biggest VC deal of the year, giving it a valuation of $62 billions.

• ☁ Salesforce, American cloud software leader, is looking to hire 2000 new salespeople to sell its AI tools to customers.

Science & Tech News

• 👵 A 53 year old grandmother is waiting for a historic kidney transplant in NYU Langone Health hospital in New York City. She volunteered to become the first living person in the world to get a kidney from a new kind of 🐷 genetically modified pig.

• Researchers are calling for a ban for creating "mirror bacteria", synthetic organisms with reversed molecular structures that could evade immune defenses and pose huge risks to humans and animals.

• 🔍🤖 OpenAI has just made the ChatGPT Search (SearchGPT) free for all users with an OpenAI account. Previously it was only available for premium subscribers.

Did You Know?

🐌💤 A snail can sleep for 3 years!

🦈 A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.

🍑 Almonds are members of the peach family.

Thank you for staying with us like always! If you are not subscribed, subscribe here for free to get more of these emails in your inbox! Cheers!